Tuesday 25 November 2014

What is Black Friday?

Up until 2010, Black Friday was a phenomenon only observed in the US and Canada. It always falls on the day after Thanksgiving, and over the last 10 years, it has always been the busiest shopping day of the year in North America. Stores, both online and on the high-street, offer huge discounts and promotions to make the most of the occasion. For many, it is recognised as the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping period.

Over the last 4 or 5 years, Black Friday has seen a huge surge in popularity in other areas of the world, such as Australia, the UK and other European countries. Why? Some people argue it’s due to the growth of American-owned companies across the world, while others point toward the steady spread of Americanised culture. Whatever the reason, Black Friday 2014 is set to be the biggest shopping day in UK history.



The Origins of Black Friday

The first use of the term can be traced back to 1960s Philadelphia, when Police officers referred to the day after Thanksgiving as Black Friday because of the mayhem than ensued as shoppers attacked the high street to start their Christmas shopping.

The rest of the US quickly caught on to this term, and Black Friday’s popularity has grown ever since. The day is now a public holiday across most parts of the US, showing just what an important day it has become for the American retail industry.

In financial sectors, many professionals claim that Black Friday is called such as it’s the first day of the year that many companies stop making a loss (in the red), and start turning a profit (in the black).

Cyber Monday

Making its first appearance in 2005, Cyber Monday is a much more recent phenomenon than Black Friday. And unlike Black Friday, it focuses solely on online sales, as opposed to both online and high-street shopping.

Cyber Monday always falls on the first Monday after Thanksgiving. Market analysts observed that this particular day always saw a huge spike in online sales as people returned to work after the Thanksgiving holiday period. From this research, the term Cyber Monday was coined and its popularity has grown since, particularly in the last 2 years. It is the biggest online shopping day of the year for many countries, including the UK.

Cyber Monday

Black Friday/Cyber Monday at 24ace

Look out for some jaw-dropping deals at 24ace.co.uk, starting on Friday the 28th of November running through to Monday the 1st of December. You’ll discover huge discounts on a wide range of products, from console bundles and tablets to Christmas lines and top-branded clothing. Make sure you don’t miss out!

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Friday 21 November 2014

Christmas Is Coming!

Christmas is just around the corner, and there are some great savings to be had in our Christmas Shop, with great savings too!

Take a look at some of our favourites, priced from only £3.01:

LED Spiral Tree Inflatable Penguin Advent Calendar 45cm LED Santa Belt Bauble Wall Light

Bushy Glitter Tree Reindeer Head Blanket Tree & Gifts Silhouette

Neon Spiral Tree Build Your Own Snowman Personalised Arrow Stocking

Personalised Gift Doormat LED Flying Reindeer and Sleigh

Shop our entire Christmas Range today, and make this Christmas one to remember for you and your family.

Friday 14 November 2014

24ace Movember Competition

It's Movember! It's the time of year when A Mo Bro takes action by changing their appearance through the growth of a new a moustache for the 30 days of November to change the face of men’s health and to help raise funds for The Prostate Cancer Charity (TPCC), the UK’s leading prostate cancer charity.



AND now that we're at the halfway point in Movember its time to show us your Mo' for the chance to win mo-themed goodies.

What do you need to do to win?
If you ever needed a reason to take a selfie, this is the time....to enter our competition all you need to do is share a photo of your (or your loved ones) mo-gress (thats moustache progress to you and i)

- FOLLOW and tag @24ace on your Instagram post
- OR follow and tag @24aceshop on your twitter post.
- Use the hashtag #Movember in your post.
- If you're entering on our Facebook page all you need to do is comment on our Movember post with a pic of your Mo! Simply head over to Facebook.com/24aceshop to enter.

And you could win this tash-tastic Wahl Shave & Trim Set and The Gentleman's Guide To Beard And Moustache Management book

         

May the best Mo Win!

- Competition closes on the 27th November AT 12pm (so that you can receive your prize in time to remove (or style) your Mo on the 1st December.

See below for full terms and conditions:

The free prize draw is open to all UK residents aged 18 years or over, except employees of the promoters, its families, its agents and persons connected with the promotion.

Only one entry per person will be accepted.

If you're a Mo Sista or a child who can’t grow a real mo why not stick on a tache and post a selfie! After all, stick on taches are brilliant and they look hilarious on kids – and every entry, Tweet or photo raises awareness for the Movember cause – and don’t forget to donate too!

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Thursday 13 November 2014

Salt Dough Christmas Decorations

Looking for ways to have a crafty Christmas? why not have a go at making your own Salt Dough Christmas Decorations:

Ingredients needed:
Salt Dough Christmas Decorations

200ml water
10oz plain flour
10oz salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Method:
Mix it all the ingredients together then when you're ready roll the mixture out, cut into shapes with cookie/biscuit cutters, my personal favourites being Snowmen, Gingerbread Men and Bell shaped cookie cutters,

Place on a baking tray, make sure you have made a hole in the top of the decoration for the ribbon to go through afterwards, a cocktail stick is a good thing to use. (make sure you make the hole big enough as when you bake the dough the mixture will grow slightly)

A personal favourite of mine is to add a sprinkle of cinnamon to the mix before baking to make the decorations smell nice and Christmassy (don’t use too much though)

Bake in an oven at approx 180C for 20 minutes, then paint and/or varnish or add glitter to make your own unique decoration.

Perfect for giving as a gift, or if the kids have helped you, keeping for sentimental reasons, they can even be re-used for years to come.

If you are truly inspired by all things Christmas then take a look at 24ace.co.uk/christmas where you will find a wide range of Christmas gifts, trees, cards, wrap and decorations almost all year round as well as Craft material and Craft kits.


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Thursday 6 November 2014

Choosing a Christmas Tree

Many people see the Christmas tree as the most important of all their Christmas decorations, and I can see why, as they do tend to be the biggest decoration in the house (and the decoration you put all the Christmas presents under).

Most people have a distinct style of Christmas Tree, often favouring the same sort of style year after year, although there are some people who change their Christmas Tree year after year following the different trends. Do you remember a few years ago when one of the high street stores featured upside down Christmas Trees in their shop windows? The country went mad for them! At 24ace we have a great range of Christmas Trees available to choose from, many of which cater for small or limited spaces. We've detailed our range of space saving and alternative Christmas Trees in our Christmas Trees for Small Spaces post.

A lot of people still love the tradition of having a real tree. Real Christmas Trees fill your home with a nostalgic seasonal aroma! They are also renewable, recyclable and while they’re growing they provide habitats for wildlife and absorb carbon dioxide and other gases. Real trees don't need to be packed away when the decorations are taken down either!

Choosing a real Christmas tree can be a daunting task if you don’t know what you are looking for, as some real trees apparently don’t shed needles, while others do, so if you've got a pet its best to try and find one that retains its needles. Here's a useful article on Choosing a Christmas tree if you need help and advice, or if you're looking for a tree you can re-use year after year take a look at our Christmas Tree buying guide for some handy shopping tips.

Shop from our Christmas range today. We stock a vast range of artificial, LED, traditional, pre-lit Christmas and space saving Trees.

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